[Sonic Defender]

To the best of my understanding if you are doing bit perfect output to an external DAC you disable the volume control in JRiver. Try it, you'll like it.

 

[Bill-P]

I am considering changing my LCD-2 (rev.2) with another headphone - a headphone that will be less dark, will have bigger soundstage and that will play music with more air and openness. Will HE-560 fit the bill?

If I was to replace my LCD-2 with HE-560, what could I miss from LCD-2? What does LCD-2 better than HE-560?

 
I think the HE-560 will fit the bill.
 
If anything, I think you might just miss the bass extension of the LCD-2, but then I think modding your HE-560 will fix that.

 

[preproman]

Is anyone using their 560's on a tube amp - if so what kind?
 
Any WA6SE users out there?

 

[swspiers]

  To the best of my understanding if you are doing bit perfect output to an external DAC you disable the volume control in JRiver. Try it, you'll like it.

Bingo, which I wasn't doing.  Sounded pretty bad!

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
Bingo, which I wasn't doing.  Sounded pretty bad!

Big difference once the internal volume management is out of the chain isn't it? Glad you're enjoying the difference, now when you EQ it will really make the difference you intended.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Another nice random JRiver tip (which I'm sure many already know/do). If you are like me and like to make playlists of music that can vary in mastered volume greatly and you just hate that playback difference here is what you do:
 
1) Highlight all the audio tracks in the Edit Playlist in Action Window
 
2) Library Tools . Analyze Audio
 
3) After analysis is done go to DSP Output under options and select both volume leveling and Adaptive Volume
 
Too complicated to explain, but in a nutshell, your problems are solved, but you have to do the analyze audio step first.

 

[tuna47]

Is anyone using their 560's on a tube amp - if so what kind?

Any WA6SE users out there?

I Use the Lyr very happy with it

 

[hifimanrookie]

I just wondered something...seeing how fast the he500 bled out to an almost stop, i am wondering if same will happen with this thread if hiiman decides to keep the price of the successor of the he6 the same as the he6 itself...as 899 usd is not such a big difference from 1199usd..or will hifiman do the same trick as it did with the he500 back then..lower the price from 899 to 699.. It was rumored the reason for this was because the he500 was affecting the sales of the he6...so they placed it in a pricerange with completely different budgetminded buyers/customers then ur regular he6 buyers, back then, who didnt have any problems paying Premium prices for a high end phone...

Mmmmm am really curious what will happen from a professional point of view...and i am really curious why it takes so long for that successor..everyone else has come up with a new version of their totl model....

 

[Eric_C]

I Use the Lyr very happy with it

That's a hybrid though. To my understanding pure tube (OTL) with 560 is a bad idea, although there are probably exceptions.

 

[Bill-P]

I think one possible reason for there being no successor yet would be tuning.
 
The HE-560 is abso-friggin-lutely brilliant in tuning even at stock. It is very close to the HE-6, but yet it's more relaxed, and more even.
 
So Hifiman would need to come out with a headphone that sounds clearly better, and I honestly can't even imagine how such a headphone will sound like.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Mmmmm am really curious what will happen from a professional point of view...and i am really curious why it takes so long for that successor..everyone else has come up with a new version of their totl model....

 
Maybe they are more careful and take longer to produce a truly new sound signature as opposed to a slight inclined rise in the same sound signature? Maybe they have less R&D resources so it takes longer? Maybe they are buying a little time to deplete stock of the HE6, who knows? As long as the new model is worth the effort and wait for people I say it is all good. I actually like when you have some time between models. Nothing worse than spending your cash and then within 6 months a new model comes out that is actually better and you could have stretched to afford it, but all your cash went into the other model that if you sell, you only get like 70% of the price you paid for it.

 

[Sonic Defender]

That's a hybrid though. To my understanding pure tube (OTL) with 560 is a bad idea, although there are probably exceptions.

Isn't a planar design less affected by output impedance differences which I think made OTL amps less well suited to low Z loads?

 

[Za Warudo]

I got my balanced cable today.  The warmer sound of the XLR output of my Yulong A18 makes a fine pairing with the HE560.

 

[Bill-P]

  Isn't a planar design less affected by output impedance differences which I think made OTL amps less well suited to low Z loads?

Well, planar would just mean impedance is flat, so the output is less "equalized" by interaction of an impedance swing versus output impedance.
 
Being as flat as they are, planar would still be affected by damping factor... as much as anything else. I think this article can explain more and better than I can since it has graphs and measurements:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/musings-headphone-amplifier-output-impedance
 
One may argue that the extra ringing (or lack thereof) shown there is not audible, but I'd think in certain situations, it does affect transient response, and may either introduce fake microdetails, or take them away.

And that's why synergy is important, and there is more to output impedance than just an EQ effect. Or IMO, it does have some implications beyond just making sure a headphone amp measures well and flat.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I got my balanced cable today.  The warmer sound of the XLR output of my Yulong A18 makes a fine pairing with the HE560.

For a week anyway when my cable arrives I will be able to test the XLR out on my A18; although the A18 isn't actually balanced I have consistently heard people say it sounds different from the XLR out. Unless my NAD really disappoints me I will be selling my A18 soon. shame I can't keep it, but that would just be too glutinous to have two amps.